


december - everything is clear in our world

by woodchoc_magnum



Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [8]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bottom Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Domestic Fluff, Established Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Maddie Buckley Saves the Day, Protective Eddie Diaz, Protective Evan "Buck" Buckley, Protective Firefam, Soft Eddie Diaz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:47:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25484182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodchoc_magnum/pseuds/woodchoc_magnum
Summary: "This is the thing about love," Eddie whispered. "It's fragile. One of us could be taken away in a heartbeat, but we have to be here for Chris. We have to. I need you to promise me, my love. I really need you to do it."
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816843
Comments: 88
Kudos: 635





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> When I originally finished this story, December was the definitive end point.
> 
> But because I like this world too much and I'm not ready to say goodbye, I'm going to write some more! So keep an eye out for the sequel to this, which will be coming... at some point, when I've written it.
> 
> Thank you as always to SevenSoulMates for her hand-holding and support (and also encouragement to write more). I hope you enjoy the last (for now) drama-filled chapter. ❤

****

* * *

**December**

"Are you sure about this?" Eddie asked Buck, standing at the base of a large oak tree, looking up to where a little boy was perched near the top. His parents were nearby, frantic, but Buck's suggestion had Eddie puzzled.

"Yeah, I'll just climb up," he replied easily, pulling on his gloves. "No need for the ladder truck. How are we going to get it back here, anyway?" They were in the backyard of a palatial home in Beverly Hills, with a rolling green lawn, a sparkling blue pool and a very tall oak tree complete with a child at the top.

"Need I remind you that the last time you tried to climb up a tree, you got stung by a wasp and had an allergic reaction to it," Hen pointed out dryly, her hands on her hips.

"What are the chances of that happening again?" Buck flashed her a grin. "He's not that far up."

Bobby joined them. "We can't get the truck through the back gate," he said. "We're hunting down a ladder – Buck, what are you doing?"

"He's just going to climb up," Chimney said, rolling his eyes. "He says it'll be fine."

"The last time you climbed a tree—"

"Yeah, I know, I got stung by a wasp," Buck said dismissively.

Bobby paused. "No, you lost your grip and split your chin open on a branch."

"Oh that did happen," Hen murmured. "I forgot about that one."

"Maybe Eddie should go up," Chimney suggested, flashing Hen a grin. "He's less likely to fall, I think."

"He hasn't got my long legs and arms," Buck boasted, at the base of the tree, looking up through the branches. "All right Marcus, I'm coming up to get you!"

"Be careful," Eddie said to him, ignoring the looks of amusement from the others.

"I'll be fine," Buck replied confidently, and began his ascent. He found finger holds and gradually worked his way up the trunk to the first strong branch, standing on it carefully, testing its weight, before climbing into the canopy of the tree. He made it look _easy_.

Eddie watched him from below. Hen and Chimney were snickering at him, but he didn't care – ever since he and Buck had come out, he'd stopped bottling everything up. If he was worried, it was out in the open. He wasn't really concerned about _this_ – Buck was more than capable of climbing a tree – but he had decided that he wasn't going to let Buck charge headfirst into danger anymore, and that meant showing his emotions.

Buck reached the top and said to Marcus, "Hey! This is a big climb, how'd you manage it?" They couldn't hear Marcus's response, but whatever it was, it made Buck laugh. "Come on, buddy, let me help you down."

A few minutes later, Buck had Marcus back down on earth and in his parents' arms. He dropped out of the tree and dusted his hands off with a smug grin. "Nothing to it."

"Yeah, yeah," Eddie said to him, bumping him with his shoulder. "Come on, Spider-Man."

~

It was when they were back at the station, hanging out on the lounges watching TV, that Buck received a text message on his phone. "Oh," he said with surprise, and then let out a laugh. "Eds. Um… you know how your parents are coming to town this weekend? My parents will also be in town."

"Oh god, just kill us now," Eddie complained, dropping his head back onto the couch cushions. "Why?"

"To see Maddie, apparently." Buck re-read the message with a frown. "She says that Mom asked if I would be willing to have dinner with them again, but she's already told them that I'm not interested. Thank god."

"Why are they suddenly so involved?"

"First grandchild? Who knows?"

"They must have seen us on TV, right?"

"I guess so."

The hype about them had died down after about a week. Something else had taken up the "feel good" news cycle (a dog defending its owner from a bear) and they'd happily faded into obscurity again. They'd been recognised a couple of times – once when they were grocery shopping with Christopher, and another time while they were responding to a car accident – but other than that their lives were back to normal.

Buck had arranged for them to both have a week off over Christmas, and he was planning a getaway for them – where they were going, Eddie had no idea. He hadn't been told. He guessed it was somewhere cold, judging from the winter clothes that were accumulating in the luggage under the bed. Buck thought he was being sneaky, but Eddie had discovered the suitcases almost immediately, when he'd kicked his toe on one of them.

Buck let out a snort of laughter. "Get this," he said. "Maddie says that Kyle was fired from his job; that they found out he was living in one of his open houses and bringing prostitutes around."

"Oh, god," Eddie groaned.

"I'm surprised he could afford the prostitutes, actually," Buck murmured, quickly sending off a reply. "What a disaster he is."

"He should probably go into rehab or something."

"Yeah, well it's not my problem; his parents can deal with him." Buck tossed his phone onto the coffee table and glanced around – they were alone upstairs. Hen, Chimney and some of the other firefighters had gone out to do the weekly grocery shop, and Bobby was working in his office.

Eddie slipped his arm around Buck's shoulders, shifting a little closer. Buck nuzzled against him, closing his eyes. Sensing an opportunity, Eddie murmured, "Have you booked flights yet?"

"For what?"

"For our Christmas holiday."

He couldn't see his face, but he could tell that Buck was smirking. "Why, you think we're going somewhere?"

"Yes, obviously."

"You think we're flying there?"

"We're going somewhere cold, aren't we?"

"What makes you think that?"

"The winter clothes you've been hiding under the bed."

Buck shrugged, turning onto his side, so his head was resting on Eddie's shoulder, one arm draped across his waist. "Maybe."

" _Buck_."

"You can wait another week."

"Just tell me now, would you? I'll need to get Christopher organised—"

"It's already taken care of."

Eddie sighed. "What have you done?"

"I've got it all sorted," Buck said, lifting his head. "You told me to go ahead, right? So that's what I've done. Just give me one more week."

"Can you tell me if we're going to see snow?"

"Hmmm… no." Buck grinned at him. "Can't promise that, Eds. That's a weather thing; I have no control over that."

"We're going somewhere close, though? Big Bear?"

"God no; I'm never going there again as long as I live." Buck tucked back in against him, hugging him close. "You'll see. Stop worrying, darling."

" _Do not call me that at work_ ," Eddie hissed, but Buck merely smiled at him and kissed his lips sweetly. " _Baby._ "

"You can't talk; you're the one who started the pet names."

~~

The afternoon brought them to the scene of an accident in Santa Monica – a car had crashed into a city bus, causing a subsequent pile-up and dozens of injuries to the drivers and passengers of the various cars involved, as well as pedestrians.

They were on the scene with the 136. Buck and Eddie were on their way to the bus when they passed Lena Bosko, who gave them a brief nod. The bus itself was practically split in half, and there were still people trapped in the back section. Buck climbed in through the smashed doors, checking the front – an elderly woman lay facedown on the floor, blood pooling beneath her.

"Eddie," he called, stepping out of the way so Eddie could climb in as well.

Eddie knelt beside her and checked for her pulse. He met Buck's eyes and shook his head, turning to look towards the back of the bus. They wouldn't be able to get through – twisted metal seats blocked their way – but a man and a woman were trapped there, wedged into their seats, both unconscious.

"We can't get through," Eddie said to Buck. "We'll have to go in through the back window."

"It's an emergency exit," Buck replied. "We should be able to open it from the outside. You think they're still alive?"

"I don't know." Eddie lifted his head, sniffing the air. "Smells like gas. We should get a move on."

They leapt out of the bus again and started around the back, Eddie radioing the situation to Bobby. "On my way," Buck heard Bobby respond.

"We can just pop the glass out," Buck said to Eddie, examining the back window, pointing to the lever in the centre. "It should open right up."

"You think you can reach?"

"Yep," Buck said, balancing on the narrow lip of metal between the wheels. He tried to turn the emergency handle, straining with the effort. "It's jammed, Eds. I'll go grab the crowbar."

"Okay," Eddie agreed. "I'm just going to check inside again; see if we can make it through." He clapped Buck on the back as they parted.

Buck was almost to the 118 ladder truck when there was an almighty explosion behind him. The ground shook and the shockwave pitched him forward onto his hands and knees, and he was disoriented for a second, before turning around to look at the bus, which was engulfed in flames.

_No._

_ Eddie. _

He was screaming Eddie's name, scrambling back to the burning bus. The heat from the flames brought him to a stop and he shielded his face, his heart pounding. _God no, please, please god, not Eddie, please—_

"Buck!" Bobby shouted from behind him, but he was at the front doors, searching frantically, the flames hot against his face.

" _Eddie!_ " The front half of the bus was well ablaze, so in desperation he raced around the back to where they'd been standing, his heart feeling like it was going to leap out of his chest. He was filled with a terror he could barely comprehend – maybe he was still there, maybe he wasn't inside, maybe – where was he? "God no, please, please God, please—"

The heat from the fire was scalding his face, but he was desperate. He staggered back around the bus to the door, vaguely aware of Bobby and Hen screaming his name, and, ignoring them, was about to climb inside when strong arms grabbed him around the waist and physically dragged him, kicking and screaming, away from the wreckage.

He fought, scrabbling away, heaving desperate sobs. A familiar voice said urgently, "It's me, it's me. Baby, it's me. I'm okay."

He looked up, hope flooding his heart again. Eddie was there – _Eddie was alive_. " _Eddie._ "

"Hey, hey," Eddie said to him soothingly, pulling him further away, over to the side of the road. There was a streak of blood and soot on his face, but he was alive, he was breathing, he was there, he wasn't dead.

Buck's knees gave out as they reached the kerb, and they went down together, shielded between two cars. Eddie cupped his face with both hands, choking out, "I'm here, I'm here, okay?"

He nodded, gripping Eddie's coat. The fear and panic began to subside - he clutched at Eddie and kissed him desperately. Eddie made a little noise but returned the kiss – he was alive; he was _alive_ , still in Buck's arms where he belonged.

Bobby cleared his throat from above them and they broke apart. Eddie glanced up at him and then back at Buck, patting his cheek and whispering, "We're okay."

He nodded in response, swallowing hard. "Yep."

Eddie pressed his lips to his forehead and stood, facing Bobby, holding his hands out. "It's okay," he said, calmly and clearly. "Buck thought I went back inside. I was just about to radio him to tell him about the fire when the bus blew, Cap. Just a mix-up. He's okay."

Buck was not okay. He felt like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown; having seen his future ripped away from him in an instant. But Eddie needed him to be strong, so he stood up, wiping his face with his sleeve.

Bobby looked back and forth between them and over at the bus. "Fuel tank?" he asked.

"I think so," Eddie replied. "Buck had literally just walked away when I saw the flames shooting out from under the bus."

"Okay. Buck, are you all right?" Bobby asked him. "You're shaking."

He looked down at his hands, which were trembling violently. "I don't know," he said, a little confused. "I'm sorry. I'm not… feeling great."

"The 124 just arrived," Bobby said to them. "You two sit this out, okay? No arguments, Eddie. Go over and get Hen to check that cut on your head."

"Just a bit of shrapnel," Eddie replied, but Bobby shot him a stern look as he walked away. "Okay, okay."

~~

Buck was quiet for the rest of the shift. The others noticed – everyone had seen him about to board a burning bus to save Eddie's life. Eddie's damn radio hadn't worked when he'd tried to let them know he was okay, and when he looked around he found Buck screaming his name as though his heart had been ripped from his chest, about two seconds away from killing himself.

And now he wasn't speaking, and when Chimney tried to joke with him, he'd simply looked at him blankly, like the life had been sucked out of him.

Bobby pulled Eddie aside and said, "Take him home – if he's like this tomorrow, call me and I'll mark it as a sick day for both of you."

Eddie was sure Buck just needed some time, that they needed to talk it out and go over what had happened (or nearly happened), but when they arrived home Christopher and Carla were there waiting for them. They noticed Buck's black mood as soon as he walked in, and Christopher did that incredible _thing_ he did sometimes – he simply took Buck's hand, led him over to the couch, crawled onto his lap and let Buck hug him.

It had always amazed Eddie as to how perceptive his son was. He had no idea where that had come from – it certainly wasn't from his side of the family. Maybe a final gift from Shannon; he wasn't sure. He hoped Christopher would never grow out of it.

Carla left, after checking to make sure Buck was all right, and then Eddie went down to their bedroom to retrieve their rings. He knelt on the floor in front of Buck and slid it onto his finger, kissing the back of his hand, and slipped his on as well.

Buck said quietly, "I'm not up to cooking tonight. I know I promised you—"

"It's fine; we'll get Uber Eats," Eddie said, rising from his spot on the floor to tuck in beside them. "Let's have a look and figure out what we want."

"Bad day," Christopher said quietly, patting Buck's face.

Buck nodded silently.

Eddie shifted so he was on his knees, one arm around Buck's shoulders, trying to get as close as possible. "Make a decision," he said to Buck, who blinked up at him. "Should we order from that Chinese place you liked so much, or should we just get pizza?"

"You can choose."

"No, you're choosing." Eddie was determined to bring him back to reality. "What do you feel like?"

"I don't know; I don't feel like anything."

"Yes, you do. What do you want to eat?"

Buck's lower lip was trembling. "Just… something… I want like, proper food. Like, chicken or something, I don't know. I just want proper, good food."

"Okay," Eddie said, scrolling through his options. "Then that's what we're going to have."

"You're not going to find it on there, because… I want like, a home-cooked meal," he whispered.

"I'll find us something."

"Eddie, you won't—"

"Yes, I will," Eddie said, giving him a determined look.

Buck closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "Okay."

Eddie leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Tell us where we're going for Christmas. Come on, Buck. We need a distraction, so let's talk about where you're taking us for Christmas. Our first snow?"

"Snow?" Christopher asked hopefully.

Buck looked back and forth between them, clearly torn – Eddie was sure he had something planned for the big reveal, but they needed something good to talk about _now_.

Eddie said, "Whatever it is, baby, we'll love it. Our first Christmas together as a family. Just the three of us."

Tears filled Buck's eyes. "You know I haven't had a proper Christmas with family… with my own family… since…" he trailed off. "Since ever?"

"Last year we were together."

"But not like this." Buck ran his fingers through Christopher's hair, sucking in a shaky breath. "I just love you so much. I was terrified."

"I know you were. I'm sorry. The radio broke when I hit the ground."

"You told me you were going back in—"

"But I didn't." Eddie ran his hand down Buck's left cheek tenderly, and then cupped his chin. "It won't happen again, baby. It was a bad day; a bad moment, but we're okay now."

Buck nodded, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, I know, I just… that was rough."

Eddie leaned in to kiss him gently, rubbing his thumb over his birthmark. "I'm not going _anywhere_ ," he said. "It's the three of us now. We're going to be okay."

"Yeah, Buck," Christopher agreed, playing with the ring on Buck's left hand. "You're with us now where you belong."

"I am," Buck agreed, pulling Eddie in close, burying his face against his neck. "I'm okay."

Eddie pressed his lips to his forehead, letting out a breath. "Baby, look. This restaurant does classic American food," he said, holding the phone out so Buck could see. "Let's order a feast."

Buck let out a tearful chuckle. "That sounds good."

~

Eddie ordered way too much food, but it didn't matter, because Buck was smiling again. They spread everything out on the table – fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn bread, beans, French fries, macaroni and cheese and more – and dug in. Christopher's face and hands were soon covered with grease, and he was making faces at Buck to make him laugh.

As they began to finish up – still with so much food laid out before them – Buck wiped his hands on a napkin and said, "Okay, I'll tell you where we're going."

Christopher bounced up and down in his seat excitedly. "Snow?!"

"I hope we see snow, but we may not." Buck wiped his hands on a napkin and said, almost hesitantly, "We're going to New York. Surprise."

Christopher's jaw dropped. He looked at Eddie and whispered, " _New York?_ " like he simply couldn't believe that the place was real.

Eddie smiled at Buck, amazed, and said, "How the hell have you pulled this off?"

"I worked it out with Bobby. We both have enough leave to cover a few days at Christmas and time off for our honeymoon next year," he replied. "It just means we can't take any long weekends for a while, but I figured… it was worth it."

"We're really going to New York?" he asked disbelievingly. "It's so expensive; how are you affording this?"

"I booked an Airbnb; it's a brownstone apartment in Midtown," he replied. "Nick found it for me and even went to check it out to make sure it was suitable for us. We're staying for seven nights, and I've already made some bookings for us – got us tickets to see a Broadway show, sorry Eds, but I think Christopher would like to see _Aladdin_ on stage."

" _Aladdin_?!" Christopher exclaimed.

"Yeah, buddy," Buck replied, ruffling his hair. "You're going to love it. You will too, Eds, I promise."

He wasn't sure about that – musicals weren't his thing – but with Buck happy again, and Christopher looking like all his dreams had come true, he wasn't going to be a downer about it. "How long have you been planning this?" he asked Buck suspiciously.

"A couple of months." Buck reached across to take his hand. "I thought if you hadn't proposed by then I'd do it… but you beat me to the punch, as usual."

"Sneaky."

"Yeah, well." Buck leaned back in his seat, free from any tension, his eyes bright and sparkling again. "I haven't been there in a long time, but I never did any of the touristy stuff. Nick has given me a lot of good ideas for things we can do on the cheap, and he said he's happy to act as tour guide for us if we want. There's a chance it might snow, but I can't promise anything. I think it'll be funny for the two Texas boys to experience an East Coast winter."

"Buck, did you grow up in New York?" Christopher asked him seriously.

"No buddy, I grew up in Philly."

"Can we go there one day?"

Buck looked surprised. "Sure," he replied. "We can do that, as long as you guys take me to El Paso."

"The city boy in the country," Eddie commented. "Might have to get you on a horse, Buckaroo."

"I've ridden a horse before," Buck replied, linking their fingers together. "I'm not the softened city boy you think I am, Edmundo."

Eddie made a face at him. "We'll see about that." He turned to Christopher, who had a huge smile on his face. "What's that look for?"

"There's a dinosaur in the museum there, right?" Christopher asked in a low voice. "I can see a dinosaur? A real dinosaur?"

Eddie glanced at Buck, who said, "They've got a full T-Rex skeleton, buddy. All put together. Don't worry – I've set aside a whole day for us to go to the museum."

"Really?!"

"Yes sir," Buck teased. "And I might still have a surprise or two up my sleeve for you two."

~

Buck was in bed by the time Eddie locked the house up and had a shower, curled on his side with his headphones in. He lifted his eyes when Eddie entered the room, closing and locking the door behind him and shoving the blanket up against the bottom.

Eddie was only wearing a towel, and he stripped it off and hung it on the back of the door, examining his reflection in the mirror. He could see Buck watching him as he smoothed moisturiser onto his face – something that Buck had introduced him to (upon moving in together he'd discovered that his boyfriend had a strict skincare regime) – and when he turned around, Buck had propped himself up on his elbows, eyes trained on him longingly.

"Are you okay?" Eddie asked him, quietly and seriously – they were going to have to deal with Bobby the next day, of that he was certain.

Buck said, "I think so." He sat up in bed, throwing the covers off, pulling his shirt over his head.

Eddie put one knee on the bed. Buck scooted towards him, already flushed pink with anticipation. He dragged one hand through Buck's hair, scratching his scalp gently. Buck closed his eyes, tilting his head back.

He said quietly, "Baby, if something like that happens again, don't follow me."

Buck's eyes flew open. He pulled away, shaking his head. "Eddie—"

"If I'm gone, I'm gone," Eddie said gently. "And you need to be here for Christopher."

"I didn't know if you were inside—"

"You would've died if you'd gone in there; it was an inferno. You knew that; I know you knew that."

"But if you were alive, there was a chance—"

"You knew that if I was inside that bus, I wouldn't have still been alive."

Buck's eyes were full of tears. "But I… I had to check."

"If that happens again, you have to let me go."

"No," Buck practically moaned. "No."

"Christopher needs one of us." Eddie knelt on the bed, running his fingers through Buck's hair, sliding his hands down the sides of his face, forcing eye contact. "I've set everything up so you're his legal guardian. If we're both gone, he'll go to my parents and there's nothing either one of us can do about that. You're a parent now, baby. You can't throw yourself away. He needs you."

"But if I have the chance to save you, I'm going to."

"Just not when it's a bus burning out of control," Eddie said quietly. "Only if it means that you won't die as well. Promise me, Evan. I never ask you to promise me anything, but this one thing… I need you to promise me that you will be here for Chris if I'm gone; that you won't give up just because I'm not with you anymore. I need you to be strong without me."

Buck began to sob, deep, wracking sobs that burst out of him. He wrapped his arms around Eddie and clung to him, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of his back. Eddie held him, his chin on the top of Buck's head, letting him cry until it was all out of his system, and he was simply sniffling miserably.

"This is the thing about love," Eddie whispered. "It's fragile. One of us could be taken away in a heartbeat, but we have to be here for Chris. We _have to._ I need you to promise me, my love. I really need you to do it."

Buck sucked in a shuddering breath. "God, _Eddie._ "

"I know. Please tell me you promise."

He was nodding when he pulled away, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. He looked at Eddie, blue eyes rimmed with red, face tear-stained, and said, "I promise I will be here for Christopher."

Eddie leaned in to kiss him reassuringly, whispering his own promise against his lips – "Baby, I'm not going anywhere; we are going to live long and happy lives together, I promise."

Buck clung to him again, nodding desperately. "Please, Eds."

"We're going to be so happy," Eddie continued, lying him down on the bed, running his hands down over his chest, tracing the three hearts linked together. "We're going to get married and have holidays together, we're going to have more kids and you're going to be the best father ever, and we're going to have so much _fun._ We're both going to be here for this, Evan." He leaned in to kiss him again, tasting the salty tears on his lips. "My love, my sweetheart."

"Oh, _Eddie_ ," Buck practically crooned. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He kissed Buck like he was breathing life back into him; like if he pulled away Buck would drown. Buck's fingers dug into his back, leaving marks on his skin, imprinting himself there. He kissed the tears away from Buck's cheeks, murmured reassuring things in his ear, and let Buck flip them over, so Eddie was on his back, gazing up at him.

Buck whispered, "I need you."

"I know; I'm ready." Eddie shifted so he was further up on the pillows, spreading his legs, feeling Buck pressed up against him, still in his sweatpants.

"Always prepared," Buck murmured, leaning in to kiss him again.

"So take your clothes off."

At that Buck let out a low rumble of laughter, pulling away long enough to divest himself of his pants. He knelt between Eddie's splayed legs, gazing down at him, and then pressed one hand flat against the centre of his chest. "I just love you so fucking much," he said, running his finger over the three hearts. "That's all."

"I love you too."

"I can't wait to get married."

Eddie smiled adoringly at him. "Me either. I'm going to marry you so hard."

"Looking forward to that, and the wedding night." Buck's hands trailed over Eddie's flat stomach and down to his hips. "We'll get a sitter, right?"

"You think I want Chris in the bedroom with us on our wedding night?"

Buck laughed. "God, I love that kid, but I really hope not."

Eddie was about to respond when Buck's fingers slipped between his legs, pressing against him. He arched his back and let out a breath – it had been a while. He reached for the lube and threw it on the bed, spreading his legs wider. Buck bent over to kiss his chest, sliding his fingers inside slowly but surely. He'd done a bit of prep in the shower, to speed things up a bit, but Buck was in no hurry, content to tease him until he was begging for it, the bastard.

It was only then that he pushed inside, guiding himself in before lying atop Eddie so they were chest-to-chest. Buck had shoved a pillow under Eddie's hips, propping him up, and pulled both his hands up and over his head, entwining their fingers together, and kissed him as he thrust his hips rhythmically.

It wasn't frantic and desperate anymore; not the way it had been when they first got together, when it felt like every moment alone was a stolen one. Now they could take their time, enjoy each other, and Eddie almost preferred it – loved the way it felt when they were connected; loved the way Buck would lift his head and stare down at him with intent, the way he licked his lips before leaning in for another kiss; loved the way he began to shake a little when he was on the brink but trying to hold back.

Eddie wrapped his legs around Buck's hips and clung to him. Buck reached a hand down between them to stroke his cock but Eddie pushed it away, wanting it to last longer, wanting to hang until the very last second. Buck murmured something against his lips, paused and adjusted himself, and slowed right down – pulling almost all the way out with every thrust. Eddie closed his eyes, tipping his head back, sighing as pinpricks of pleasure sparked out of every nerve-ending. Buck's mouth was on the nape of his neck as he fucked him slowly, relentlessly, adding more and more force until they were both gasping together, trading open, wanton kisses.

Buck wrapped a hand around his cock again and a few strokes was all it took; Eddie arched his back and came between them, shaking with the force of his orgasm. Buck kissed him again, adjusted himself and thrust his hips for a few seconds longer before he was coming as well, burying his face against Eddie's neck.

"Oh I love you," Eddie said in his ear, letting out a chuckle. "God I love you."

Buck recovered enough to whisper, "I love you too, Eds, so fucking much," before dropping his head down again.

Eddie cast a hand down the length of his back, closed his eyes and held him for a few minutes in silence. They were going to live a long and happy life together, he decided, Buck wrapped in his arms. That was non-negotiable.

**~*~*~**

_**Hen** _

"Morning, Cap." Hen stepped into Bobby's office, passing him a takeaway cup of coffee. "Stopped off to get you a cappuccino."

"Thank you," he replied, genuinely pleased. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine. Did you remember that Chim will be late? Maddie's got a doctor's appointment this morning." Hen leaned against the doorframe, sipping her chai latte.

"Oh right, thanks for that." Bobby pencilled something onto his calendar. "Have they told you the sex of the baby yet? Athena was wanting to know."

"No, not a thing. My money is on a girl," she said knowingly, as laughter rang out through the station. She leaned out of Bobby's office and spotted Buck and Eddie walking in together, hand-in-hand. "Ah, the boys are here. Good. I was worried about Buck after yesterday."

"I was too." Bobby had a dark look on his face. "I'm going to have to talk to them about that."

Hen raised her eyebrows. "About what?"

"About Buck losing it."

"You didn't talk to him the last time he lost it over Eddie."

Bobby blinked at her. "That was different; they weren't a couple."

"No offence, Cap, but it was almost the exact same thing, only worse – because that time, Eddie _was_ in life threatening danger." Hen stepped further into the office, pulling the door shut behind her. "Buck did try and dig him out with his hands."

"Yeah, but…" Bobby trailed off. "They weren't in a relationship."

"Not in so many words, but they were still together all the time before they were in a relationship," she said quizzically. "It's _Buck._ This is the same guy who stole Chimney's phone from an active crime scene in order to track down his sister. Now he's getting married to the love of his life – do you really expect him to have no reaction if something goes wrong?"

"It was unprofessional – one of the agreements they made, in order to stay together here, was professionalism at all times," Bobby replied, folding his arms across his chest.

Hen gave him a skeptical look. "And how professional was it when you grabbed an axe and stormed a building to find your wife?" she asked bluntly.

"That was different."

"It was different, how? Because it was you and not Buck? Buck's not a kid anymore, Cap." Hen took the vacant seat across from him, crossing her legs. "He's a grown man, about to be married, about to be the father to a kid. Yesterday for a few horrible moments he thought he lost all of that. Cut him some slack."

Bobby heaved a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Maybe you're right."

She was _definitely_ right. She sipped her latte and watched as Buck and Eddie climbed the stairs together, laughing about something. "Look at them," she said quietly. "They're so in love. Just give them a break, all right? Buck wears his heart on his sleeve – if it was any of us he would've been devastated. You can't force him to turn that off; you can't control him. If you were to send Eddie away, what's to say that Buck wouldn't steal a fire truck and try to rescue him if something went wrong? It's _Buck._ "

"He has to stop being so impulsive."

"He can't. The boy doesn't do anything halfway." Hen glanced out at Buck and Eddie, who were teasing each other in the kitchen. "You split them up, you just make life harder for yourself. You just make Buck miserable. Other people in the department are married and work together – there's no reason they can't make it work as well. You can't split them up because Buck was upset yesterday."

"He was about to climb into a burning bus," Bobby argued.

"He probably would've done the same thing if you were inside." Hen raised her eyebrows at him. "I know I'm overstepping, but… someone's got to defend them. You can't have one set of rules for Buck and another for Eddie; you can't have a set of rules for yourself and a separate set for the rest of us. We all make mistakes."

He sighed again, rubbing his face with his hand. "You're right. I just… I don't know. I worry that Buck is going to get himself killed one day."

"That's understandable, but he has grown up a lot since he first started here," she pointed out. "Yesterday was an anomaly, I think."

"I hope so," he replied quietly.

"Come on, Cap, have some confidence that everything will be all right," she encouraged him. "Our two best boys are going to marry each other, how wonderful is that?"

Bobby looked out at them. Buck had his arm draped around Eddie's shoulders, looking at something on Eddie's phone, and as they watched, they both began to laugh again.

"It is pretty wonderful," Bobby agreed, a small smile on his face. "Okay. You've made some good points, Hen, now get out of my office."

She flashed him a smile and stood, heading out to where Buck and Eddie were still giggling together. "What's going on?"

Eddie looked up at her with a grin. "Christopher's teacher sent me an email yesterday afternoon asking for a parent-teacher meeting, because Christopher has been telling everyone that Buck and I are getting gay married, not regular-married, and that means it's more special, somehow?"

Hen snorted. "Oh no."

"I did tell him that gay marriage and regular marriage are the same thing," Buck said, "but I'm guessing he's made up his mind and is running with it."

"He's a smart and funny genius," Eddie said affectionately, "but I guess I am going to have to talk to his teacher about it. Hey, maybe you should come with me?" he asked Buck, who looked surprised. "I mean, you're going to adopt him; you're on all the paperwork now… we should go to parent-teacher stuff together."

Hen grinned – Buck was instantly emotional, blinking rapidly. "Okay," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "If you want me to be there, I will."

"Good." Eddie patted his back.

Hen said, "I can't believe you two managed to keep this a secret as long as you did. Now that you're out in the open you can't keep your hands off each other."

"We used to sneak off for quickies," Buck said, protesting when Eddie elbowed him. "Hey! Well, _we did._ "

**~*~*~**


	2. Chapter 2

Buck fully expected to be called into Bobby's office and lectured, but the morning dragged on and nothing happened. Bobby was his usual self – he wanted them to give the trucks a thorough clean, so that was what he and Eddie ended up doing with a few of the other guys.

It was around lunchtime when Bobby called out to Eddie, asking him to collect their lunches – he'd put in a big order at their favourite Mexican restaurant. Eddie took the keys and threw Buck a wave as he jogged out to the car.

Paranoid, Buck wondered if this was a ploy to get him alone – maybe Bobby was planning on tell him privately that he was being transferred – but when he went upstairs, Bobby merely asked, "Are you doing okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm sorry about yesterday."

"It's okay." Bobby clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You worry me, kid. You know you do."

Buck winced. "Sorry."

"None of us are perfect. This probably won't be the last time that something happens to you or Eddie, but we'll figure it out." Bobby released him, suddenly breaking into a huge smile– Buck glanced out at the entry to the station and found Athena striding in purposefully. "There she is."

"Athena's joining us for lunch?"

"I told her we were having Mexican; I couldn't talk her out of it." Bobby went down the stairs to greet her.

Buck stretched his arms over his head and went to sit with Hen and Chimney in the lounge. "How'd it go at the doctor this morning?" he asked Chimney.

"Yep, all good. Everything is looking perfect. No gestational diabetes, which was what he was worried about." Chimney had a nervous but excited look on his face. "Do you think you and Eddie might have time on the weekend to come over and help us paint the baby's room? Maddie has changed her mind on the colour, _again._ "

"She's not going with yellow now?" Hen asked wryly.

"No, now she's read something about yellow not being a good colour? I don't know," he said dismissively. "She wants to paint the room sky blue, because blue promotes happiness. I mean… it all sounds like bullshit to me but whatever she wants, man. Whatever she wants."

Buck was laughing, about to respond, when glass suddenly smashed onto the concrete floor below, and a singsong voice wafted through the station. "Buttercup, are you here? Buttercup!"

Buck's heart dropped into his stomach. He and Chimney exchanged horrified looks and leapt to their feet. "Kyle," Chimney said, starting to the balcony. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

Sure enough, Buck's idiot cousin, Kyle, was sauntering up between the fire trucks, whistling a tune. "Buttercup, are you here? I saw you on TV!"

"Who is that?" Hen asked them, totally confused.

"That is Buck's cousin, Kyle," Chimney said through gritted teeth, "a certified moron. Come on, Buck, let's go deal with this clown."

"I really don't want to," Buck said, but followed him to the stairs anyway.

They reached the bottom just as Kyle emerged from between the trucks, swaying on his feet, a streak of dried blood running from his right nostril to his top lip. "Oh, there you are, Buttercup," Kyle said, staggering a bit, leaning on a truck for support. "My boy Buttercup! Makes Eddie's heart go giddy-up, right?"

"What the fuck are you doing here, man?" Chimney demanded. "Are you drunk?"

"Oh yeah, I got _fired_ ," Kyle said, and let out a laugh. "Can you believe that? I was the number one seller in San Diego for two years in a row, Buttercup, and they fucking fired me. They said I can't do my job anymore. On account of the booze and the hookers and the drugs, you know how it is, right?"

"No, I really don't," Buck replied, folding his arms across his chest. "Dude, you're wasted."

"And then last month I saw you on TV, the big damn hero with his brand new family," Kyle slurred, wagging a finger in Buck's face. "You and _Eddie._ Where is Eddie, anyway? I'd like to see _him_ again."

"Eddie's engaged to your cousin," Chimney said flatly, "and he's not interested in you. You can calm down and we can help you out, or you can leave. This isn't the place for whatever it is you want to do right now."

Kyle stuck his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout, leaning in close to Buck. "Your dad is going to be so pissed off that you're marrying a dude."

"I don't really care what he thinks."

"Nah, you never did, did you? You know why that is? Because your dad is fuckin' weak, just like you are." Kyle staggered a bit, leaning on the truck for support. "He just let you do whatever. My dad was strict, Buck. My dad kept me in line, unlike _you._ Just fuckin' around, fucking… playing sport, fuckin… girls? You know?"

Buck exchanged a look with Chimney, who said, "You aren't making any sense."

"I'm talking about this fucking golden boy over here," Kylie snapped at Chimney, gesturing at Buck with disgust. "Makes me sick."

Chimney stepped in between them, protectively blocking Buck, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't know why you came here," he said warningly, "but it's time you left. None of us are interested in your sob story."

"No, I want to talk to him," Kyle said, swaying back and forth. "About how he ruined my life."

"I never did anything to you, man."

"You did!" Kyle shouted at him. "You got all the girls, and you got to live in a nice house, and I had to live with my father and you know what he's like, don't you? Don't you?!"

Buck held his hands out. "Kyle, seriously, calm down. Let's go outside and talk."

"Where's Eddie?"

"He's not here, and you're not seeing him. Come outside with me and Chim," Buck insisted. "Seriously, man."

Kyle groaned, stomping his feet. "It's still happening," he whined. "You're still getting everything you want, and I get nothing. It's bullshit. How the fuck did you get a guy like Eddie anyway? I just want to _talk to him_."

"He doesn't want to talk to you, man," Chimney snapped. "Outside. Come on."

"Buck?" Bobby asked with concern, Athena at his side. They'd obviously been listening, hidden behind the trucks, but suddenly they were flanking Buck and Chimney on either side. He looked around and found the rest of the crew were gathered around protectively as well – somehow that was comforting, even though he was fairly confident he could knock Kyle out with a single punch.

Kyle threw his hands up in the air, wildly gesticulating at Buck. "You called the cops? You fuckin' narc. Fuckin' goody-two-shoes, fuckin' Boy Scout."

"She's the wife of my captain," Buck said through clenched teeth. "Kyle. Look at me. I don't know what you're so pissed about."

"At you! It's not fair!"

"What's not fair? I haven't seen you in ten years!"

"Yeah, but you're always around; they're always talking about you," he complained. "What's Evan doing? Where is Evan living? Evan this, Evan that, like you're so fucking good."

"You know they don't give a shit about me."

"They do; you just don't know it. Your dad is so much better than my dad." Kyle had tears in his eyes. "My dad used to beat me up."

Buck sucked in a breath, holding his hands out. "I didn't know that."

"You had to have known!"

"I didn't."

"You lived with us—"

"In the fucking basement!" Buck shouted at him, losing his temper. "In winter! In Pennsylvania! You didn't speak to me the whole time I was there except to be a prick!"

"And then you got to go home to your nice house with your parents and I had to stay," Kyle said with anguish. "And now you're here, and you get everything you want and you're a fucking firefighter, and I'm just nothing. Couldn't even hold down a job."

"Maybe that's got something to do with the booze, hookers and cocaine, man," Chimney said quizzically. "That's not Buck's fault."

Kyle ignored him, stabbing a finger at Buck. "Even when you went to South America, you were still the number one topic of discussion. How can I compete with you?"

"Kyle, they don't like me!" Buck argued. "I don't know what you think my parents are like, but you're wrong! They _don't care about me_."

"Yeah, but they didn't beat you up." Kyle wiped his eyes. "I fucking hate you. You make me sick."

"Then fuck off," Buck snapped at him. "Get out of my life."

Kyle groaned. His right arm went behind his back, under his jacket, but Buck didn't register what was happening until the handgun was out in the open – suddenly everyone was moving; Athena was shouting; Chimney was shoving him backwards towards Bobby, who yanked them both in between the trucks. Buck waited for a gunshot, but nothing happened, only the sound of metal hitting the concrete floor and Athena's stern voice.

"You think it's funny to come in here with a toy gun? You're under arrest," she lectured him. "I could've blown your head off."

"Oh thank god," Chimney said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Holy shit."

"Buck!" Eddie's voice echoed through the station, and Buck turned to look – he was sprinting towards him, the pick-up truck parked haphazardly across the driveway.

"Where did you come from?" Buck asked, surprised, as Eddie threw his arms around him in a hug.

"I called him," Hen's voice came from above. "I figured he'd want to be here for this."

"Are you okay?" Eddie asked him urgently. "He didn't hit you?"

"No, I'm fine, I'm okay. I don't think Chim would've let him," Buck said, casting a glance at Chimney, who flashed him a grin.

"Well, you're my baby brother," Chimney said, rolling his eyes. "Someone's got to look out for you."

"Aw," Buck said with a grin. "That's sweet."

"Shut up," Chimney retorted, following Bobby out to help Athena.

Buck went to follow them, but Eddie clung onto him, holding him back. Kyle was wailing and swearing, pleading with Athena not to arrest him.

Buck could feel Eddie's heart pounding and hugged him reassuringly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Eddie tucked his head under Buck's chin and held on – they stood like that for a few long moments, as the crying died down. Eddie finally gave him a pat on the back and released his death grip, grinning when Buck kissed his nose. Buck took his hand and stepped out from between the trucks, where he found his idiot cousin face-down on the cement floor, Athena's knee in the middle of his back, handcuffs on his wrists. She was reading him his Miranda rights, but he was looking up – at Eddie, who was at Buck's side.

"Oh hey," Kyle said to him, flashing a twisted grin. "There you are."

Eddie glared at him.

"You know you are about the hottest guy I have ever seen in my life? I'd do anything for you, Eddie. Anything you wanted."

"Okay, we're going," Buck said, dragging Eddie towards the stairs. "What an asshole."

"Eduardo, don't go!"

"That's not my name, jackass," Eddie snapped at him.

"Will you shut the hell up?" Athena's frustrated voice followed them up the stairs to where Hen was waiting. The rest of the 118 began to slowly disperse from where they'd been standing, and Hen leaned against the balcony railing, shaking her head at them.

"Anyone else going to turn up here today to make your lives miserable?"

"Both our parents are coming to town next weekend," Eddie replied. "Just give it time."

~

Kyle was arrested on multiple charges, including drug possession, driving while under the influence, driving with open bottles of alcohol in the car, public intoxication and a multitude of other things that Buck was pretty sure Athena had made up on the spot. He was led away, sniffling and crying, and Buck actually found himself feeling sorry for him.

"I knew his father was a jerk," he said to Eddie as they went to pick up lunch for everyone, "but I never knew he was getting beaten up. I would've helped."

"I know," Eddie reassured him. "It's okay. He made choices on his own – you haven't been in his life in a decade. He was just looking for someone to blame for his own bad decision making. Not your fault."

"I just feel bad for the guy."

"Kyle's shitty life decisions aren't your responsibility. He can't come in here after not seeing you for a decade and blame you for everything that's gone wrong in his life. He's hit rock bottom, and now he's probably going to jail."

"His parents will bail him out; they'll hire him a lawyer," Buck predicted. "They'll deal with it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's the Buckley way." Buck shifted in his seat, turning to face him, studying his profile with a smirk. "You, though, charging in like I was a damsel-in-distress – fuck, Eds. What'd you do, get halfway down the street and turn the car around because Hen called?"

"Shut up," Eddie said good-naturedly. "She called and said that there was a crazy guy threatening you and Chimney, what was I supposed to do? Tell her to wish you good luck and keep driving to pick up lunch?"

"I just liked how you came tearing in, very heroically, as if to save me," Buck teased. "It was pretty hot."

"Oh, shut up," he said again, giving Buck a light push. "Like I'd ever let your dickhead cousin do anything to you. Of course I'm going to come rescue you."

"Remember that day we took off and had sex in the carpark at my old building?" Buck asked, sliding a hand down Eddie's thigh. "I wish I still had the key."

"We're absolutely not fucking in the work truck," Eddie said sharply, his eyes trained on the road. "You can wait until tonight."

"Might be time for Chris to have a sleepover soon, what do you say? So we can be loud again? You want to tie me up?" He pressed his hand between Eddie's legs insistently.

Eddie wriggled in his seat, his face flaming. "Stop it," he begged. "I can't go into the restaurant with a hard-on."

"Why not? Maybe we could pull over somewhere and I could take care of you; you know, as my way of saying thanks – you being such a hero and all."

"Buck, you are driving me insane, stop it."

Buck was massaging his groin insistently. Eddie finally let out a groan of frustration, checked his watch and said, "There's no time – seriously, get your hand off my dick, okay? When we get back to the station—"

"You'll let me blow you in the toilets?"

"Anything you want, just not here in the car when we're in our uniforms," Eddie begged, squeezing his legs shut.

Buck laughed, extracting his hand, leaning in to kiss Eddie's cheek. "Deal."

**~*~*~**

_**Adriana** _

Adriana arrived in Los Angeles the day before Aunt Pepa's birthday party. She'd left her husband and kids at home for this trip – they were all tied up with extra-curricular activities and she didn't think it was necessary to drag them away for a weekend.

Eddie had invited her to stay with him and Buck at their house – not his house anymore, she'd noted, it was _their_ house – but she hadn't taken him up on the offer. If she was going to have three nights in Los Angeles, she was going to book herself into a suite at a nice hotel in the city and spend a whole day doing some shopping.

She and Sophia had spent the last month talking things out with their parents, and they'd kept Eddie mostly in the dark about that. There were some fights and some tears (from Sophia, mostly), but she felt that she'd made her point – at the end of the day, Eddie was a grown man who had every right to marry the person he loved; that he and Buck were already great parents to Christopher, and their parents needed to let him go.

She didn't consider them to be bad people. They were conservative and they'd raised their children with certain expectations – one, that they would all make something of themselves, and two, that they would all lead the kind of lives that their parents wanted them to. The same kind of boring existence their parents lived themselves. Working nine to five, getting married, raising children, attending church on Sunday – wash, rinse, repeat, every week.

As the eldest of three children, she'd seen how differently their parents treated each of them – Sophia, the baby, was coddled; Eddie, the middle child, was constantly criticised and she was pretty much ignored, which was how she liked it. If they were paying attention to the two younger ones, she could get away with pretty much anything. They were honestly lucky that she was such a Type A personality – driven to succeed.

They'd always been hard on Eddie. Maybe it was because he was the only boy in the family and there were certain expectations, or maybe it was because Eddie was so damn inscrutable sometimes. If he made the tiniest error it was the end of the world, and they would come down hard. When he met Shannon – poor dead Shannon – and knocked her up, it was as though the sky was falling. How could he be so stupid?

And then when he joined the army, again, how could he do this to the family? As if there was something _wrong_ with it. She'd been worried about him going off to war, of course, but he was determined to provide for his family – to ensure they were supported while he was away and that they would have good healthcare. It wasn't as though he abandoned Shannon on a whim – it was a well thought-out decision that she agreed to, and their parents had insisted on demonising him for years about it.

When precious Christopher was born, and Eddie wasn't there – they took over and practically moved in with Shannon, overwhelming her, taking control of her and the baby. Eddie came back, took one look at the situation and promptly fled again. It was the wrong move, but she could understand why he did it – he had to earn money for the family, he had to provide for them, and the army was the easiest way to do that.

She remembered how anxious she'd been when they'd received news that Eddie had been injured; that his helicopter had been shot down. When he returned to El Paso, still clearly in pain, still suffering from PTSD, she'd seen how much he'd _changed_ – he simply stopped smiling; he was tense all the time and their parents weren't making anything easier. In fact, they were completely unsympathetic to him.

Eddie didn't open up a lot, to anyone, but one night – right before Shannon left – they'd sat down together under the stars and he'd told her how unhappy he was but he didn't want to leave, to go somewhere where they didn't have any support. He didn't know how to care for Christopher or what to do to make Shannon happy, he was struggling with nightmares and trying to find solid work – he was in a bad place, and she'd said, "Eddie, I'm here for you. I'll help you," and he'd nodded, like he'd take her up on that offer, but he hadn't.

And then Shannon left. Eddie began working three jobs, trying to make ends meet, trying to be a father, and their parents just wouldn't stop hounding him; wouldn't leave him and Christopher alone. Adriana had tried to step in; to argue on his behalf that they needed to give him some space, but they refused to listen. They said he was a bad father, that it would be better if he signed his parental rights away to them so they could raise Christopher in a safe and supportive environment.

When they said that to him, Adriana knew he'd leave. It was the last straw. Sure enough, three weeks later, Eddie and Christopher were gone. Their parents were furious, and it was a hot topic of discussion for _months_ – how he'd abandoned his family to raise his son in Los Angeles, how he was being selfish _again_ , how Christopher was going to suffer without any support around him.

It was total fucking bullshit. Neither Adriana nor Sophia blamed Eddie for leaving, not for one single second. They'd argued passionately on his behalf – and still continued to do so, years later, even though it was obvious to _everyone_ that both Eddie and Christopher were flourishing in their new environment.

She remembered distinctly when Buck came along. Eddie began mentioning him right away, this big blonde goofball he'd met at work, who Christopher had taken one look at and fallen in love with. Adriana first met Buck at Shannon's funeral – he'd stood in the back with the other members of Eddie's firehouse, wearing his formal uniform. She was drawn to him immediately, though it took her a while to figure out why – it was the softness with which he gazed at her brother, the way they smiled at each other. She'd introduced herself to him at the wake and found that he was friendly, easy to talk to and damn charming – she saw someone who was almost Eddie's opposite, the missing pieces to the puzzle, slotting together to become whole.

She predicted their blossoming relationship a year before it happened, and followed Buck on Instagram, watching them fall in love through pictures and videos. When she spoke to Eddie on the phone he rarely mentioned Buck – often he would say things like, "we went to the park," or "we went to the beach," and sure enough, Buck's Instagram would be filled with pictures of whatever activity they were doing as a family.

Somewhere along the line she became very invested in the life her little brother was leading in Los Angeles – he was Buck's favourite subject, and she had never seen Eddie look at Shannon the way he looked at Buck through the lens of his camera.

She figured they were together months before she saw them on the news. Buck's photos had changed, almost imperceptibly, but because she'd been watching from afar for so long she picked up on it. Gone were the casual, random family snaps – they were replaced with more intimate photos, taken with meaning. Things had changed – Eddie looked different, happier, lighter. Christopher looked more content. Somehow Buck had fixed what was broken, and now her parents were the threat, and there was no way in hell she was going to let them interfere with Eddie's happiness.

**~*~*~**

"Adriana!" Buck exclaimed happily, holding the door open for her. "We weren't expecting you today!"

"I came a day early; tomorrow I'm going shopping. _All day._ " She smiled at him – she was wearing jeans and a white blouse, with her dark hair twisted into a bun. "Can I come in?"

"You sure can. Eddie's just gone to pick up Christopher from a play-date." Buck stepped aside to let her enter, and they hugged briefly. "It's good to see you, future sister-in-law."

"You too, future brother-in-law." Adriana set her handbag down on the coffee table and looked around. "Wow, this place has certainly changed since the last time I was here. New couch, new furniture – your stuff?"

"Yeah, Eddie's pretty much stolen my stuff since I moved in. We sold his couch and bed and everything on Craigslist." Buck followed her into the living room, where she stopped to admire the pictures on the wall. "How was your flight?"

"Oh, you know, it was wonderful," she said sarcastically, hands on her hips, leaning in to examine the pictures. "You and your camera, Buck. I was nearly going to ask Eddie a few months ago if you two were hooking up, but I chickened out. I figured you were. You're always taking pictures of him."

Buck shrugged. "He's my favourite guy."

She flashed him a quick grin. "And you’re his, you know. I knew he liked you because he was so damn secretive about it."

"Well, that's Eddie. I didn't know it was a first date until we were on it." He perched on the edge of the couch. "How are your parents?"

"Ah, well," Adriana replied, taking a seat in the armchair, crossing one leg over the other. "That's a conversation, isn't it? Should we wait until Eddie gets back, or should I give you the highlights?"

"Highlights," he said instantly. "Eddie's been pessimistic about it, but I'm not."

"Well… they're coming around," she said, clucking her tongue. "I can't say they're going to sweep in here and give you both big hugs, but there's not going to be any drama this weekend, I don't think. They want to be grandparents, you know? They know you and Eddie are planning on getting married and having more kids, and they want to be a part of your lives. They're just confused, I think, because Eddie hasn't explicitly said that he's gay or bi or whatever."

"He thinks he's bi, but he says it doesn't matter because he only wants me."

"Ugh, gross," she teased, rolling her eyes. "Don't tell me you two are going to be the lovey-dovey couple in this family."

"Please, I've seen your wedding photos. Did you buy all the roses in the country or only the ones in Texas?"

Adriana gasped and gave him the finger, throwing her head back with laughter. "Shut _up._ "

"And Eddie told me that you two did a choreographed dance, so…"

"He didn't!"

"The man tells me everything," he replied smugly, as the front door opened.

"In you go, little man," Eddie said, holding the door open for Christopher to walk through. He looked over at Buck with a smile. "Hey. I've got the stuff for dinner."

"Oh, great," Buck replied, tilting his head towards Adriana. "We might have a dinner guest."

"Hey bro," she said, rising to her feet. "Christopher! Can I have a hug?"

"Aunty Adriana!" he said happily.

Adriana knelt to give him a hug. Eddie watched them with a smile on his face, and when she stood, he embraced her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Hey sis."

"Hey bro." Adriana patted her back, gesturing to the shopping bag in his hand. "What's for dinner?"

"Duck," Eddie replied, passing the bag to Buck.

"Duck?!"

He laughed. "Yeah, we had it at a fancy restaurant one night, and then we were in the supermarket a few weeks later and Buck found these quick cook duck leg things, and now duck is in the rotation every couple of weeks. He makes this orange glaze to go with it."

"I'm a very talented chef," Buck said to her as he went into the kitchen. "Stay for dinner?"

"Actually, I can't. I'm meeting a friend downtown. I'm trying to cram as much as I can into these three days without my husband or kids."

"Christopher, why don't you go wash up?" Eddie suggested, resting his hand on Christopher's shoulder. "You're all sticky. What were you guys doing?"

"Making slime," Christopher replied, starting down the hallway.

"Making slime," Eddie said to Buck, who laughed. "How do you even make slime?"

"There are recipes on the internet," Adriana replied. "Do you mean to tell me you don't have a Pinterest board filled with ideas for your son?"

Eddie made a face. "Do you really think the answer to that question is yes?"

They caught up while Buck began to organise dinner, sitting at the table in the kitchen. Adriana filled them in about her family – her husband had taken up golf, which was annoying her to no end – and about some of their mutual friends in El Paso, people Buck had never heard of. Eddie didn't seem all that interested, and when she told him what some of the reactions had been to their viral moment, he simply rolled his eyes.

"So, when's the wedding?" she asked, gesturing to the ring on Eddie's finger. "Sooner or later?"

"We're thinking mid-year," Eddie said, glancing over at Buck as he chopped some vegetables. "We're hoping to have our honeymoon in Hawaii."

"Oh, wow," she replied, impressed. "You two just want to parade around without your shirts on, I know. Are you taking Christopher with you?"

"Yeah, we're going to try to stay in a two-bedroom Airbnb."

"It's not a honeymoon with a kid, you know."

"I'm not denying my son a trip to Hawaii," Eddie replied pointedly. "He's coming with us."

"Of course he is," Buck agreed. "Just because you were able to take off to Paris on a whim, Adriana—"

"Oh Buck, I can already see we're going to have a problem, you and I," she replied good-naturedly. " _Stop it._ Does he tease you this much?"

"What do you think?"

Buck glanced over at them with a grin. "It's just low hanging fruit, that's all."

"Yeah, yeah. So… how are Mom and Dad?" Eddie asked her. "I haven't heard from them. I don't know if that's good or bad."

"They're okay," she replied. "They're coming around to the idea. I think it helps that they both like Buck."

He turned around, raising his eyebrows at Eddie, who groaned. "I told you. Haven't I been telling you?"

"You couldn't have possibly known—"

"I knew. Your dad shook my hand."

"He shook your hand?" Adriana asked, impressed. "Wow. It took him months to warm up to my husband."

Buck shrugged. "What can I say, it's a known fact that the Diaz family is not immune to my charms. It stands to reason that your father would also fall under the Buckley spell."

"Oh god," Eddie groaned, swiping out at him. Buck ducked out of the way with a laugh. "Anyway – you really think they're going to be okay? That this weekend isn't going to be a total shitshow?"

"I don't think it'll be a total shitshow," she replied, "but yeah, I think you'll be surprised."

~~

Eddie's parents arrived the following evening. His mother had rung him earlier in the day to ask if they could drop by (a first from them, _asking permission_ ) and to possibly have dinner with them and Adriana, and he'd agreed to it. Buck immediately went to Bobby to start discussing a menu, ready to begin the next phase of winning Eddie's parents over.

They stopped at the supermarket on the way home so Buck could stock up on ingredients, and while he was doing that, Eddie picked up a cheesecake for dessert. He was tense in the car as they drove home, the cheesecake box balanced on his lap. Buck said, "It's going to be fine, Eds."

"Easy for you to say."

"I’m supremely confident that I can win them over."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about, this confidence of yours." He cracked his knuckles, groaning when Buck reached out a hand to stop him. "Babe."

"You'll give yourself arthritis if you keep that up."

"You know that's not proven—"

"Yeah, but it's not _not_ proven either, so no knuckle cracking." Buck lifted Eddie's hand to his lips, his eyes trained on the road. "It's going to be fine."

~

It was strangely fine?

Ramon and Helena greeted him _warmly_. He was hugged by each of his parents before they greeted Christopher, handing him a new Lego set. Helena took Eddie aside and said, "We've got his Christmas presents here, can we hide them somewhere before we leave?"

"Of course," he said, surprised. "We're putting the tree and decorations up on Sunday afternoon."

"Lovely, you'll have to send us some pictures." She patted him on the back.

Buck emerged from the kitchen. He was dressed in his nicest slacks and a dress shirt – the blue one, that made his eyes pop – in a bid to impress them even more. Eddie was shocked to discover that it was _working_ – Helena was the first to say hello to him, kissing his cheek, and Ramon shook his hand heartily. Eddie met Buck's eyes briefly, wondering if there really was some kind of Buckley magic going on. Maybe he should've invited Maddie and Chimney around, just to really wow them with extra Buckley power.

Adriana was the next to arrive, after a day of shopping. She swept into the house, greeted them all (Christopher with an extra hug and kiss) before immediately pouncing on Buck in the kitchen, demanding to know what he was cooking them for dinner.

Buck had talked things out seriously with Bobby during the day and had decided that a pot roast was the safest option – he wanted to impress them, after all, and it was one of the things he made best (and also one of Christopher's favourite meals).

Eddie was left alone in the living room with his parents – Christopher had taken off with the box of Lego, presumably to dump it out on his bedroom floor. They sat on the couch, admiring it, and he took a breath and joined them in the living room, perching on the armchair.

"New couch," Ramon said. "Leather?"

"Yeah, it's Buck's. He's moved in." Eddie hoped he didn't sound as tense as he felt. "So—"

"We want to apologise," Helena said, and he stopped mid-sentence, surprised. "We shouldn’t have ambushed you. We shouldn't have said the things we said to you; we shouldn't have… done a lot of things, Eddie. We've been selfish."

Eddie wasn't sure if he should nod to agree with them, or stay still – he chose the latter, but his eyes flicked to the kitchen, where Adriana and Buck were chatting amiably.

"And clearly we have a ways to go before you'll trust us again," she continued, "but we want to be a part of your life. We want to come to your wedding and to be there when you have more children."

"If… you want that," Ramon added, a little hesitantly. "Your sisters have pointed out to us that there has been… a disparity in the way we treat you."

_And you listened to them?_ Eddie thought, bewildered. He kept his poker face on and said, "Well, I don't think I'm a total failure – I've got things under control."

"We never thought you were a failure," Helena reassured him.

_But you did_. He distinctly remembered all of the comments they'd made to him; the insinuations that he couldn't cut it in the army, or as a father, or as a firefighter; that he was going to drag Christopher down with him – all of those things were in his mind as he looked at the earnest expressions on their faces. Buck would want him to try to make it work, and he would do that, for Buck, but… he would probably never trust them.

Buck and Adriana emerged from the kitchen then, carrying a bottle of champagne and some glasses. Adriana said, "Come on, we're celebrating their engagement, aren't we?"

Eddie immediately looked at his parents, who were both _smiling –_ at _Buck._ "Are you really okay with this?" he demanded, and everyone froze. "Because… the last time you were here it was like the end of the world, and now… you're fine with it?"

Helena shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it's been an adjustment, getting used to the idea of you marrying a man," she admitted, "but… we couldn't help but watch that video of you and Christopher at the pier, a lot… you just seem so happy, Eddie. We've never seen you so happy. And Christopher is thriving out here – Pepa tells us how much he loves his school and his friends, how happy he is that you and Buck are getting married. We've made mistakes, but truly, we are here to support you."

He just couldn't believe it, that was the problem. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Adriana was pouring them out glasses of champagne, and Ramon was joking with Buck about sport and it was like he was living in an alternate reality where his parents were nice, normal people.

He met Buck's eyes, just wanting a moment alone to talk this through. Buck said, "Hold up on the champagne for a sec, I need to check the food – Eds, can you come help me turn the roast?"

Eddie stood and followed him into the kitchen, trying not to wring his hands together. Once they were out of sight of the rest of his family, he gave Buck an anxious look, and sighed when Buck pulled him into an embrace.

"Look," Buck said in his ear. "If they really mean it, great. If they don't – we will go no-contact."

"I don't want to trust them again and have it come back to bite me," he whispered in his ear. "I don't want to keep going through this."

"Then we make sure we set up some boundaries. If they start in on the same old bullshit, we'll talk things out with them and Adriana, and go from there. I've got your back, Eds. Whatever you want to do, I'm on your side."

He squeezed him a little tighter and then stepped back. "Okay. Do you really need to turn the roast?"

Buck shook his head. "No, but I will check it while we're in here, to make it look legit."

~~

Adriana popped the champagne – a professional, Buck noted with some glee, and they toasted to their engagement. Eddie's parents seemed to be in a good mood, and when Buck served them dinner ( _a spectacular triumph of a dinner_ , he thought with some pride) they were even happier.

"Hang onto this one," Ramon said to Eddie, pointing his fork at Buck. "He's a keeper."

Eddie looked stunned, but he went red when Buck kissed him on the cheek.

He just had a feeling they would come around. Adriana had told him that they weren't bad people; they were just old fashioned, but with the overwhelming evidence before them that both Eddie and Christopher were doing great in LA, that they'd built a happy life and a family together, they really couldn't argue that Eddie wasn't making good decisions.

Besides, he'd flashed the baby blues and worked that Buckley charm, and had them wrapped around his little finger in no time.

Eddie was dishing out dessert when there was a knock at the door. He exchanged a look with Buck, wrinkling his nose, and Buck shrugged before standing to answer it.

His parents were on the doorstep.

Buck's jaw fell open, as a stream of thoughts raced through his mind – _how do they know where we live, what are they doing here, did Maddie tell them where we live, why are they holding a present, what the fuck is going on_ – before he said, in a slightly strangled tone, "What are you doing here?"

He heard dishes clatter behind him, and then Eddie was at his side in a flash.

"Well, we heard about that horrible situation with Kyle," Roger Buckley said, "and we wanted to check in with you while we're in town. Nice to see you again, Eddie."

Eddie looked up at Buck with raised eyebrows. Buck said, "We're… we've got guests right now… who told you where I live?"

Patricia winced. "Well, it wasn't easy – Madeline refused to tell us – but in the end we simply hired a private investigator, and—"

"You _what?_ " Eddie practically snarled, physically stepping in front of Buck. "Are you people insane?"

"What's going on?" Adriana called from behind them, already on her feet – typical Diaz, Buck found himself thinking, always ready to jump in.

"No, we weren't having you followed or anything," Roger said, holding his hands up. "We just needed to find out where you were living."

"I don't know if I've made it clear from my silence over the last ten years, but I don't want to see you, and I don't care about Kyle, and you shouldn't be here," Buck said. "It's not the time."

Patricia had her eyes trained on Eddie's left hand, and she asked pointedly, "Are you two married?"

Eddie glanced up at Buck, and then pulled him out onto the porch, closing the door behind them. "We're engaged," he said.

"You didn't tell us that this was your secret boyfriend," Roger said to Buck. "We had to find out about it on television, Evan."

"Yeah, you and everyone else," Buck retorted. "Why are you here?"

"We wanted to see you, to give you this," Patricia said, handing Buck the gift bag. "Something for you to consider – an engagement present."

Buck and Eddie exchanged another look. His parents were waiting expectantly, so he reached into the bag and pulled out an envelope, which he handed to Eddie, and a bottle of Scotch in a wooden box. "Whiskey?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, from the distillery we own a stake in," Roger said proudly. "Did I mention to you last time that we've been investing in breweries?"

It made perfect sense for a pair of rich, functioning alcoholics to invest in a brewery. Buck returned the box to the bag and said, "Thank you, I guess."

"Open the card," Patricia said. "Go on, Eddie. Is that short for Edward, by the way? We never did ask you that."

"It's short for Edmundo." Eddie looked completely bewildered. He tore open the envelope and handed Buck the card, as a folded piece of paper slipped out from inside. He bent to retrieve it while Buck read the card:

_To our son, Evan  
_ _Something to help you reconsider your choices.  
_ _All the best for your future._

_Warmest regards,  
_ _Roger and Patricia Buckley_

He blinked, glancing at Eddie again, who was staring at the piece of paper in his hands in horror. "What?" Buck demanded, leaning over his shoulder. Eddie was holding a cheque for fifty thousand dollars. Buck took it from him, staring at it, and then realised what it meant. "You're giving me money to break up with my fiancé?"

Eddie went rigid, wrapping one hand around Buck's arm.

"No," Patricia replied. "The money is yours to do with what you please, but if you make the right choice, there's more where that came from."

He closed his eyes. He was filled with anger so white-hot that it felt like he might explode with fury, and only the grip of Eddie's hand on his wrist was keeping him from losing his cool.

He said tightly, "You hire a private investigator to find me, you come here completely unannounced and uninvited – I don't know why you think after the last time we saw each other that I would want to see you again, but for some reason you're _here_ and you have no right to be. I don't want your money. I don't care about your money."

"Evan," Roger said in shock, holding his hands up. "We're just trying—"

"I don't want you in my life." He shoved the gift bag in his mother's hands and tore the cheque up, dropping the pieces on the ground. "We're not interested. You're not invited to the wedding. My life is not a soap opera for you to take back to your friends in Philly and gossip about. You can leave."

"This is no way to speak to your parents," Roger snapped at him. "We brought you a gift, Evan. You don't have to leave your… boyfriend, but if you do, there would be an incentive. That's all. You're blowing this completely out of proportion."

"Are you people for real?" Eddie snarled. "He's asked you to leave, now get off our porch."

The main door opened, and Ramon stepped out. "What's going on, Eddie? Who are these people?"

Buck froze. This was not how he wanted to win Eddie's parents over.

Eddie said tightly, "These are Buck's parents; he doesn't have any contact with them and they're leaving."

"Who's this?" Roger demanded.

"This is my father, Ramon," Eddie replied sharply. "Mr Buckley, I'm asking you to leave."

Ramon looked from Buck to Eddie, and then at Mr and Mrs Buckley, totally confused. "But we should meet," he said. "Shouldn't we? Ramon Diaz, Eddie's father. And you are?" He held his hand out, and Roger shook it.

"Oh my god," Buck said, pulling away from them, pressing a hand to his forehead. " _Eddie._ "

"I know, I know," Eddie said, but Ramon was already exchanging pleasantries with them and calling for Helena to join him. "Let's call Maddie."

"What's she going to do?"

"I don't know, but let's call her."

It was Ramon who invited Roger and Patricia into the house. Buck immediately went inside to scoop up Christopher and whisk him off to his room, leaving Eddie to deal with the mess that having all four of their parents in the one room would surely bring.

He called Maddie from Christopher's room, and when she answered sleepily it all spewed out of him – "Maddie, our parents are here, and Eddie's parents are here, and we tried to get them to leave but they won't leave, _do something_."

"I'm on my way," she said, though he could hear Chimney groaning in the background.

"Is that Buck? Tell him to go to hell."

"Maddie, please," he begged. "I'm trying to win over Eddie's parents."

"I'll be there soon, we are on the way," she promised. "They will listen to the pregnant woman, Buck. I'm on my way."

"Maddie, the doctor said—"

"I said I'm on my way!" Maddie snapped at Chimney before the phone went dead.

Buck looked over at Christopher, who smiled at him. "Oh man, Chris," he said, pulling him in for a hug. "Can you go out there and work your magic on them, make them disappear for me?"

"I wish. There are too many people in the house."

"I agree." Buck kissed the top of his head. "Can you stay in here for a bit? Is that okay? I'll bring you in some cheesecake."

"Buck," Christopher whispered, one arm around his neck, "I don't like cheesecake."

"What? This is the first I’m hearing of this."

"I like chocolate cake."

"Well, if you hang in here, I'll bring you in some ice cream, okay? Is that okay, buddy? To just stay here for a bit?"

"Sure thing, Buck." Christopher hugged him again.

Buck hugged him a little tighter than usual, trying to soak up some courage, and returned to the living room. Roger and Ramon were chatting in the corner, both with drinks in their hands. Patricia was speaking with Adriana and Helena, though Adriana shot Buck a wide-eyed look when he entered the room.

Eddie was standing off to the side, his arms folded, tense like a coiled spring. As Buck stepped up beside him, he said, "So, hell is real."

"Yep."

"And it's in our living room."

"Yep."

"And your parents know where we live."

"Yep."

"So we're moving." Eddie's lips were pressed together in a tight line. "Buck, they hired a private investigator."

"Are you honestly that surprised?"

"Uh, yes? Who does that?"

Buck gestured to the two rich white people in the room. "Them."

Eddie just shook his head, clearly furious, but when Buck took his hand and gave him an imploring look, he relented. "I know, I just… didn't think they cared enough to do this."

"They don't care. They think they can bully me into doing what they want, but they're idiots. Your parents will figure it out." Buck pulled Eddie in for a hug, kissing his forehead, and then spotted the cheesecake. "Dessert?"

"We're really not going to intervene in this?"

"Seriously man, my father will say something insulting in the next five minutes, and your father will say something back, and all of this good cheer will be out the window." Buck dragged Eddie to the table, retrieving their discarded slices of cheesecake. He popped a spoonful in his mouth and said, "Mmm."

"What do you mean, you think Donald Trump has some good ideas?" Ramon's voice wafted towards them.

Buck pointed with his spoon at the group and intoned, " _It begins._ "

~

By the time Maddie arrived, it was barely controlled chaos. Ramon and Roger were arguing about politics; Patricia and Helena were arguing about immigration and Adriana had retreated to the relative safety of the table with Buck and Eddie, all three working their way through a bottle of wine.

Eddie jumped up to answer the door, letting Maddie and Chimney in, and when Roger and Patricia spotted their heavily pregnant daughter, they were both surprised. "Maddie, what are you doing here? We're meant to be seeing you tomorrow," Patricia chided, but Maddie held up a finger to them.

"I told you not to go near Evan," she snapped, Chimney hovering at her side with concern. "I specifically told you to leave him alone. He doesn't want you in his life. Why are you here?"

"Well, he's getting married," Roger said, "and we needed to make sure that he's marrying into the right sort of people—"

"The right sort of people?!" Ramon snapped from behind him.

"Yes, well, both our children are marrying immigrants—"

"I was born in Texas!" Eddie snapped, and then groaned when Buck pulled him down onto his lap and held him in place.

"Maddie will handle it," Buck murmured to him.

Maddie, with one hand on her hip, snarled at her parents, "Why are you really here? Tell me."

Roger and Patricia exchanged a look. "We saw Evan on television."

"And?"

"It's been quite the talk, our son marrying a Mex—uh, a man," Roger quickly corrected himself. "So we thought if we maybe came here and… impressed upon Evan that it wasn't the best idea—"

"Excuse me?" Adriana demanded, rising to her feet, beer in hand. "Are these people for real?"

Buck grabbed her elbow and pulled her back down again, one arm locked around Eddie's waist. "They're absolutely for real," he said in a low voice. "Now watch my sister lose her shit."

"Um, Maddie," Chimney said nervously, "maybe you need to calm down—"

Maddie held a hand up to his face, glaring at her parents. "How much are you offering him?"

"We didn't—"

"Fifty thousand," Buck called, resting his head on Eddie's shoulder, slipping his other arm around his waist to hold him in place.

"You offered him fifty thousand dollars to break-up with his fiancé?" Maddie exploded. "Are you two out of your minds? Nobody cares! Nobody cares that your son is marrying a man except for you! Eddie's parents are cool with it – hi, I'm Buck's sister, nice to meet you by the way," she said to them, flashing a tight smile. "I'm sorry you had to be here for this."

Helena and Ramon both wore the same gobsmacked expression.

Roger and Patricia glanced at each other uneasily. "Well, it is somewhat embarrassing for us," Patricia said stiffly.

"If you two didn't spend all your time gossiping to your friends about what your children are doing, nobody would care," Maddie said flatly. "Buck has never done what you wanted him to do. What, you thought _money_ would make him give up the love of his life? Buck doesn't care about money! He never has! He just wants to be a husband and father and for you two to _leave him alone._ So I'm asking you, for the love of god, to please get the hell out of his house and go back to your hotel, and we will discuss this further tomorrow, at dinner, where you will be _sober and polite to my fiancé as well._ You will do this, or I swear to god you will never see your grandchild."

"I'm in love with her," Adriana remarked, downing the last of her beer.

Roger and Patricia started to the door meekly. Roger glanced over at Buck briefly, but Buck simply pressed his face against Eddie's shoulder and avoided eye contact with him.

Chimney said, "I'll make sure they get into an Uber," and left Maddie alone.

She put a hand on her belly, let out a sigh, and said, "Is that cheesecake?"

"Come join us!" Adriana said, a little drunk. "I'm Eddie's sister, Adriana, and you are _spectacular._ Can we be friends? How far along are you?"

~~

By the time everyone left, it was nearly midnight. Maddie and Chimney had stayed a little while longer, getting to know Eddie's family.

At the end of the night Eddie's parents had each hugged him more than once, and Buck had received a kiss on the cheek from Helena and a firm handshake from Ramon, so he was feeling like he'd nailed it, despite the obvious roadblock in the form of his parents.

He was exhausted when he collapsed into bed beside Eddie, pulling the blanket up and over his head. Eddie immediately yanked it down and bent over him for a kiss, rubbing his chest reassuringly.

"I say we ring Athena in the morning and get a restraining order," he suggested.

Buck shook his head. "No, Maddie's scared them enough. They won't be back."

"You think?"

"I know. Did you see her tonight? Terrifying." He rolled onto his side, tucking a pillow under his head. "I'm so tired."

"Me too." Eddie flipped off the light and slid down beside him, pulling the blanket up and over both their heads. He took Buck's hand and held it to his lips, whispering, "Hey. Remember when we talked about what name you'd take after we got married?"

"Yeah, Buckley-Diaz."

"You want me and Chris to take your name as well? So we'd all be Buckley-Diaz?"

Buck felt a wave of pure love and adoration crash over him. "You'd really do that?"

"Yeah, of course," Eddie murmured, kissing his fingers. "I want us to all be the same. We're a team."

"We could just drop the Buckley—"

"No, no. It's your name; I'm not asking you to drop it." Eddie twisted the engagement ring around Buck's finger and whispered, "When we have more kids, we'd all have the same name."

Buck smiled at him. "Eddie, if that's what you and Chris want, I'll do it. Whatever you want."

"What do you want?"

"I just want my two favourite Diaz boys; that's all. And no more parental drama for a while, please."

Eddie chuckled. "Deal."

**~*~*~**

_**Christopher** _

New York was _huge._

Like, the biggest place Christopher had ever seen.

Everywhere he looked there were buildings and people, cars and trains and buses, flashing billboards and people dressed in costumes. It was sensory overload, every single second of their first day in Manhattan. They went to Times Square and the Empire State Building; they saw the King Kong exhibit there, with King Kong peering in through the windows at them. He asked Dad who King Kong was, and Dad laughed and said they'd watch the movie sometime.

They stood at the top of the Empire State Building and looked out a sea of buildings as far as the eye could see; so many buildings all around them. Buck paid for Christopher to look through the binoculars and he peered through them, amazed, overwhelmed by everything.

They ate hot dogs on the street and went to Central Park. Buck wanted to see something called Strawberry Fields so they went there first, to a quiet area with a memorial on the ground, roses surrounding a single word – 'Imagine'. Buck cried a bit and Dad gave him a hug and patted his back. Christopher didn't really understand, but he held Buck's hand because Buck was upset.

Afterwards they explored further – it was cold, so cold and rainy, and Dad made sure that Christopher was tucked into his warmest winter coat with his gloves and beanie on. They found the Alice in Wonderland statue and Dad sat with him on it while Buck took their picture.

They found a pond with rowboats on it and watched for a while, and then they found a big grassy field. By then the sun was out, so Buck went to buy them some popcorn and they relaxed on the grass together. Christopher was amazed that in the middle of this gigantic place, there was an area so quiet and nice and peaceful.

That night they went to Red Lobster, which Dad and Buck found really funny but they couldn't tell him _why._

Their days were filled to the brim with activities. One day they hopped on a boat and went to the Statue of Liberty with Buck's friend Nick and climbed all the way to the top; and then later that day they went to the tallest building and went to the top of that as well, and Christopher pressed himself against the glass and stared out at the ocean and thought about how big the world was. That night they saw _Aladdin_ on Broadway and it was so exciting, so wonderful, that he wished he could watch it all over again from the start. Dad even enjoyed it – at one point Christopher heard him sniffling, and looked over to see him wiping tears away as Buck grinned at him.

And the next day, right before Christmas, they went to the museum, and he'd never been so amazed by anything. He rode around on Buck's back most of the day – they'd done so much walking that he was in a bit of pain, but he didn't want his Dad to know – and made him go back to the T-Rex five times, walking all around it, so he could examine it from every angle.

Then it was Christmas. Dad said there would be more presents waiting for him when they got home, but that didn't matter, because the best present was waking up to snow. Real snow – real live proper snow, white flakes falling from the sky kind of snow. Their house had a little terrace and Dad bundled him up in his coat and then let him go outside, standing under the flakes, staring up at the sky.

Dad looked amazed as well, and Buck just watched them and laughed. He knew all about snow. He went inside and then returned with three cups of hot cocoa, and they drank it outside, as fat snowflakes wafted down around them.

Dad said to Buck, "Can this day get any better?" and Buck said, "We'll have to see."

They opened presents first – Dad gave Buck some new clothes, and Buck gave Dad a shiny new watch. Dad immediately tossed his old one aside and put the new one in its place, kissing Buck happily. Christopher had some new books, some new action figures and – best of all – a new box of Jurassic Park Lego. They had pancakes for breakfast – Buck cooked while Dad supervised, adding extra choc chips when Buck wasn't looking – and then curled up in the living room in front of the fireplace. Buck lit the fire like he'd done it a thousand times before – Dad supervised again, making little comments every so often to make Buck laugh.

And then, with the crackling of the fire and the snow falling outside, they curled up on the couch together, all three of them, and watched the _Home Alone_ movies.

That night, after dinner, dressed in their warmest clothes, they left the apartment and started walking down the street. Buck said they only had a couple of blocks to go, but he was worried about Christopher slipping on the icy footpaths. He ended up piggy-backing Christopher down the street while Dad held onto his crutches.

They rounded a corner and came to a building with a gigantic Christmas tree in front – Christopher gasped, because it was the one from the movie they'd just watched! And there were people ice-skating on the rink there, which was _amazing_. They walked right up to the ice rink and watched the skaters – it began to snow again, and Buck handed Christopher over to Dad, who wrapped him in a warm hug. Buck's arms went around them both.

Dad said, in a voice filled with emotion, "This is incredible. Thanks, Buck."

Buck kissed his cheek and said, "I'm glad you liked it. I put it together just for you."

Dad snorted with laughter and elbowed him. Christopher said, "I'm really glad you're going to be my second dad, Buck. I love you so much."

Dad looked up at Buck, who was instantly on the verge of tears. "Well, I love you too," he said, a little gruffly, and buried his face against Dad's neck.

"You softie," Dad said affectionately, sharing a smile with Christopher. "Come on. I think we need to get some hot chocolate to warm up."

**~*~*~**

With Christopher tucked in bed, Eddie joined Buck on the terrace, handing him another cup of hot cocoa. "At this rate I'm going to be up every hour to pee," Buck complained, but took the mug from him anyway.

Eddie settled in beside him on the loveseat, and Buck pulled the blanket up around them. Eddie gave him a kiss and leaned against him, gazing up at the night sky. "Well, I don't know how you managed to make it snow on Christmas, but good job."

"I just rang up Mother Nature and asked her nicely."

Eddie nudged him, chuckling, and said, "Cocky bastard."

"Yeah, yeah, you love it." Buck let out a contented sigh. "One more day, and then home."

"Back to the sunshine and blue skies."

"Back to the _sprawl_ ," Buck intoned.

"Back to our house and our nice bed." Eddie reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone and a pair of headphones. "Took me a while to pick our song."

"You usually agonise about it and then decide on something on Saturday night. I don't know how it became this competitive thing, babe. I just want to play sappy love songs to you."

"It needed to be perfect for today." Eddie handed him one side of the headphones, and tucked another in his ear. "I never cared too much about music until you came along."

"I like that you do now, though." Buck kissed his cheek.

"I like us to have things that are just ours." Eddie tucked his legs underneath himself, scrolling through the music on his phone – all love songs, thanks to Buck. "Okay. Here's why I picked this song – because I saw you crying at the John Lennon memorial and I thought, there's got to be a John Lennon song that you'll like."

"So let's hear it."

"I have one more thing to say." Eddie queued up the song, set the phone down and placed one hand over Buck's heart. "I love you, baby."

Buck smiled at him. "I love you too, Eds."

_Oh my love for the first time in my life  
My eyes are wide open  
Oh my lover for the first time in my life  
My eyes can see_

_I see the wind  
Oh, I see the trees  
Everything is clear in my heart  
I see the clouds  
Oh, I see the sky  
Everything is clear in our world_

_Oh my love for the first time in my life  
My mind is wide open  
Oh my lover for the first time in my life  
My mind can feel_

_I feel the sorrow  
Oh, I feel dreams  
Everything is clear in my heart  
I feel life  
Oh, I feel love  
Everything is clear in our world_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> [John Lennon - Oh My Love](https://youtu.be/u3QZVdqUidw)
> 
> Find me at Tumblr: [woodchoc-magnum](https://woodchoc-magnum.tumblr.com/)


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